Several serial to Ethernet converters are known, including for example the X-Port™ from Lantronix™, aspects of which were described in the Ser. No. 10/122,867 application filed April 2002. This and all other patents and patent applications cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. A more recent example includes the CP/COM™ converter available from Arc Electronics™. (www.arcelect.com).
The earliest Ethernet converters did not provide wireless connectivity. Subsequent converters, including PCMCIA cards and USB dongles, do provide wireless connectivity, but such devices are not designed for surface installation on computer or other circuit boards. In addition, the existing converters are designed for particular translations of one protocol to another or they have limited or non-existing MILARRS and other functionality. PCMCIA cards, for example, are designed to require a complex parallel interface (e.g. CARDBUS) not typically provided on non-computer products or devices. Existing wireless connectivity devices are therefore not generally suitable to OEM manufacturers for use in their products.
Thus, there is an ongoing need to provide an electronic component board mountable modules that provide wireless connectivity, especially those that use a simple serial interface to the component board. There is also an ongoing need to provide modules that provide web server and other more advanced functionality.